CA - NJ may be perfect. I am sure she has a bed. Let me pow wow with Jake and be in touch. What day are you planning to leave and what will you do with her in the evening?

You guys have your hearts in the right place but can't you ship a dog on a commercial flight?
I was just thinking about the expense and liability involved in trying to get a bunch of people coordinated for flights. Most of us make the same decision for ourselves when we are flying any great distance and we logically pick the airlines. Just curious.
I'm sure the dog doesn't care how it gets anywhere considering the alternative.

Pilots N Paws does this sort of thing continuously and I've taken part in several transfers myself. Sometimes weather gets in the way, but it all works out. I wouldn't even consider putting this dog on an airline and subjecting it to flight connections, heat, uncaring ground handlers and the like. My plane is down for maintenance until mid-Sept or I'd sign up for this.

And by the way, if an overnight or two is needed in the Memphis area, let me know! We can keep her as long as necessary for the next leg to pick her up.

Sig600, what a generous offer. Jake, this would be a whole lot easier than trying to coordinate numerous legs. I think she'd be just fine back there for a few days. You might need to make slightly shorter legs to allow her to stretch, but that's about it.

I post a lot of stories for Pilots N Paws and saw a set-up in the back of an 8 that looked perfect. I wish I could find the picture, but I can't seem to locate it. In essence, he took out the back rest of the back seat so he could use a little of the baggage space and put some blankets/towels/pillows to make the transition a little smoother. The pilot then used a pop up crate since it could mold to the area and also tethered the dog since the crate is not exactly dog proof. The crate will help keep the dog from scratching something as well as comfort as it is a little den. Putting the dog's bed in there would give him even a little more padding and also some comfort as the smell would be familiar.

Target, Walmart, online, etc...

As far as overnights, I bet you won't have any trouble. There are some hotels that accept pets, LaQuinta is one, but there are other options. Another option is to call the FBOs. You'll be amazed at how many of the workers will care for a dog overnight. The last one I contacted was hoping for bad weather so he could hold on to the dog for a few more days.

Also, Pilots N Paws has a list of volunteers across the country willing to be temporary fosters. They can be contacted through the board. From the following tool, you can select fosters but be sure to extend out the date from 3 months to all volunteers. It will give you an idea of where they are located. They might even offer to foster you. http://pilotsnpaws.org/maps/maps_volunteers.php I'd be happy to send out notes when you know your stops.

In this case, the VAF white pages would also be a resource.

I'd be surprised if the adopter wouldn't drive to NJ to pick up the dog, but just in case there is a conflict, I bet a pilot in the northeast can be found to cover the distance through PnP.

If the flight isn't already deductible, be sure to get it posted to Pilots N Paws to get the tax deduction.

Be happy to help in any way.

__________________CQ Headset by Card Machine Works
The other half of a flying RV-9A and an 8 in the shop.

Pilots N Paws does this sort of thing continuously and I've taken part in several transfers myself. Sometimes weather gets in the way, but it all works out. I wouldn't even consider putting this dog on an airline and subjecting it to flight connections, heat, uncaring ground handlers and the like. My plane is down for maintenance until mid-Sept or I'd sign up for this.

And by the way, if an overnight or two is needed in the Memphis area, let me know! We can keep her as long as necessary for the next leg to pick her up.

I see what you mean about the airlines. I've heard many horror stories describing conditions just like you described...oh, wait, those were people describing their own experiences on the airlines

If one of you find yourself needing to overnight in the North Alabama area, contact me. I have a hangar with enough space to squeeze an RV in with my 172, and we have room and will be willing to overnight both a pilot and a dog.

We do have a short out of town trip planned within the next couple of weeks, so if you need to overnight with us, contact me ahead of time to make sure we're in town. Email me at rv7boy ...at...yahoo...dot...com if you need to.

I've done several Pilots N Paws flights myself and am happy to see so much interest in getting this pup to a new home. RV's make great PnP machines because of their superior speed and range.

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." Miriam Beard

"It should be added that the sublime beauty of the facture brings within the realm of discourse the substructure of critical thinking. " -using Doug's Art Critique jargon link and my birthday, I get this!

Jake if things go sideways, shoot me a PM. I can turn south depending on where I'm at and help out. I'll be going CA to NJ via the north route (WY, NE, IL, OH, PA) between about the 17th and 20th.

Sig,

When you first offered the use of your RV8 I couldn't picture a dog trying to hang on to the small back seat of an RV8 for 12+ hours of flight time. I sent you a PM with my phone number so we could discuss it but thought I'd ask all the 8 owners if my idea could work.

Could we pile up enough blankets and pillows (etc) to level out the back seat so Dakota has comfortable place to lay down? Maybe even a large trash bag full of Styrofoam packing peanuts that we can conform to the shape we need??

Also, are the rear seat rudder pedals far enough forward that they wouldn't be restricted by our makeshift bed?

It makes a lot more sense to send Dakota on ONE RV that's already going her way.

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